Steven Barnett interviewed about Jo Cox for information.dk

This week, Professor Steven Barnett was interviewed by Danish newspaper Dagbladet Information as part of an article on post-Brexit media and the political atmosphere in the UK. In the article, published in Danish, Steven, talking about the killing of Jo Cox, stated that he has no doubt that ”had there not been a referendum with the type of rhetoric that we experienced on both sides of the argument Jo Cox would not have been killed”.

”These types of random attacks” he continued “do not happen that way. The perpetrator clearly felt encouraged and urged by the rhetoric in the electoral campaign that was about ’putting your country first’ and anyone who didn’t believe that Great Britain could get by without the EU was a ’traitor’”, said Steven prior to the beginning of Monday’s trial of the alleged offender. According to witnesses, the perpetrator yelled ”Britain first” prior to the attack and when he was presented in court he stated his name as “death to traitors; freedom for Britain”. “That says something pretty depressing about our political culture and ability to have a sane political debate,” adds Barnett.

The full article, in Danish, can be read here

Photo by Sam McGhee on Unsplash